Step 1 of the process
Find the angle
Western kitchen knives are usually sharpened at 14 to 20 degrees per side, Japanese knives lower, pocket and outdoor knives higher. The maker's own figure comes first. The calculator turns degrees into the height of the spine above the stone.
- Western kitchen knives
- 14 to 20 degrees per side
- Japanese kitchen knives
- 10 to 17 degrees per side
An angle is quoted in one of two ways. Per side is the angle between the blade and the stone, the one you hold while sharpening. Inclusive is both sides added together, so 15 degrees per side is a 30 degree edge. Makers mix the two, which is why one brand's 30 and another's 15 can describe the same edge. The factory angles by brand table says which is which.
Start from what the maker states, then from the type of knife. A lower angle cuts more easily and dulls or chips sooner; a higher one is tougher and feels less keen. The angle chart gives the usual range for each knife type. To match the angle a knife already has, colour the bevel with a marker and take one light stroke: at the right angle the stone wipes the ink off the whole bevel.
Degrees are hard to see; a height is not. The spine sits at the blade width times the sine of the angle: a 45 mm chef's knife at 15 degrees rides about 11.6 mm above the stone, the height of six nickels. The angle calculator works it out for any blade, and an angle guide holds it for you while your hands learn.
Ready to move on when: You know the angle per side you are aiming for and can set the spine at that height on the stone.
Common mistakes at this stage
- Reading an inclusive figure as per side and sharpening at twice the angle.
- Letting the angle change from stroke to stroke, which rounds the edge.
- Going far below the factory angle on a knife that is used for chopping.